The Wikipedia biography is shorter
in length. The information given is
supported by blue hyperlinks which lead to further sources and research. It is broken into categories: introduction,
biography, Eusapia Palladino, Works, Bibliography (broken down into sections “by
Sedgwick” and “about Sedgwick”), See Also, References, and External Links.
While the Wikipedia article was
written as a list or collection of facts, the Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy article is written with more narrative components. Full sentences were used to explain Sidgwick’s
life and work, and there were not links constantly interrupting the text. This article is also much longer than the
page on Wikipedia, for the paragraphs use proper grammar and much attention to
detail.
The information in the Wikipedia
article is very focused on Sedgwick and the events he was personally involved
in or affected by. Overall, there are
few details and the descriptions are brief.
The biography includes information about his parents and childhood, his
education, adulthood, accolades, his wife, and his burial location. Then the Eusapia Palladino incident is
explained, including how Sidgwick was involved.
The links used in the Wikipedia
page send readers to pages mentioned: the college Sidgwick founded, the
associations of which he was a member, definitions of concepts, and even other
people’s biographical information. The
links were all to other Wikipedia pages.
The list in the “References” section on Wikipedia includes thirteen
sources. Many of the references are
journals. The list also includes
databases and books. Some of Sedgwick’s
work was also listed. On Wikipedia, a
couple of photos are used and captioned with links that lead to other Wikipedia
pages. The Stanford Encyclopedia article
does not include images.
Wikipedia has a reputation of
sometimes not reporting truthful information.
Authors and editors can make changes to the articles at basically any
point in time. The Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy is a specialized source that focuses on philosophy and
philosophers. For this reason, the
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a more credible source when it comes to
researching topics pertaining to philosophy.
If I were looking for information
on Henry Sidgwick, I would start with checking Wikipedia. The information is presented in a quickly
accessible way and linked to further reading if so desired. When it comes to extensive research, I would
continue with the Encyclopedia because the page gives more thorough information
and lists sources and links that are not to other Wikipedia pages.
